Ask Fran

Dear Fran,

I’ve got this sore on my arm that just won’t go away.  It doesn’t hurt, unless I poke it, but it is unsightly so I cover it up with band-aids when I’m in public.  But I think band-aids make people uncomfortable, too.  What should I do?

Sincerely,

Wounded in Worcester

Dear Wounded,

I believe that the best medicines can be found all around us and that they are, more often then not, right under your nose.  The first of what that sore needs is lots of natural fresh air.  Band-aids make fine trash treasure, but they are good for little else.   

A wound is nature-made and nothing to be ashamed of.  You’re going to make people uncomfortable, sure, but that’s life!  Never put the comfort of others above your health. 

Secondly, have you tried licking it?  Eighty-eight times out of a hundred, licking is the best answer, regardless of the question. 

Thirdly, maybe it’s time to adjust how you feel about this sore.  Is it necessarily a bad thing?  Mightn’t it have positive qualities we can acknowledge and admire?  It’s persistence, for example!  The companionship it offers while asking little in return except a place on your arm. 

My dear Wounded, we all have sores.  Let it breath the fresh air.  Teach those around you how to respond to it with your poise.  And lick the hell out of it, my darling.